On the Edge with Eddie: Detangling our Black Identities

Eunice Upshaw, a passionate businesswoman and mother, generously shares her personal experiences navigating the intricacies of identity, belonging, and societal expectations as a light-skinned Black woman. Together, we delve into the complexities of being at the intersection of privilege and prejudice within the Black community and society at large. Throughout our conversation, Eunice provides val...

From a war-torn country to now a Nurse Practitioner, Jeannette George aka Nurse LaVie takes us on a journey of her life as a refugee, running for her life to now saving lives. My conversation with Jeannette sheds light on immigrants moving to the US, a fight for a better life and the health disparities among Black People. Today, Jeannette is a Family Nurse practitioner, content creator/influencer,...

A conversation with Raina Harmon on various issues Black People face on daily basis including a perspective on Black History from our viewpoint. From the effects of code-switching, isolation, to black mental health, you don't want to miss this season opener. Raina Harmon is an advocate for social justice reform, she has been the keynote speaker for the CMU Multicultural Celebratory as well as the...

On the Edge with Eddie: Season 2 Trailer

My guest, Angelo T. Robinson is an 80% disabled veteran who served ten years in active duty and four years in the Naval Reserves as a Seabee. My vibrant conversation with Angelo T. Robinson uncovers how his travels around the world on military duty influenced his approach to art. Our dialog details the concept of patriotism from his view as a black veteran, the blatant racism in the south to how h...

A former coordinator for the Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP), Shalisa Gladney detangles her varied identities from being a black feminist, advocate and womanist. My conversation with Shalisa, who is currently the coordinator of the Afro-American Cultural Center, expands on setting boundaries for a heathy relationship to what it means to be identified as queer. Shalisa is an educator and advoca...

Gabrielle Orr aka Brie, a native of Eagan, Minnesota detangles the complexity of being a mixed race and the struggles that comes with having a black father and a white mother. A volleyball superstar, who at an early age found her identity in sports, my conversation with Brie details her experience as a Black Student-Athlete in a predominately white sport. In High School Brie guided her team to an...

With over 20 years of technology experience including leadership roles, Jerard Butts aka JB, takes us on his journey of growing up in Chicago, surrounded by black love and acceptance of his black self at a very early age. My conversation with JB touches on navigating obstacles that hinders black people from being successful in certain spaces. Jerard is currently the IT Manager for the U.S. Soccer...

Judge Kevin McKeever, the first African-American judge to be appointed to Iowa's Sixth District court, shares his story of growing up black in Southside Chicago, his journey in the Navy and now a district court judge. My eye opening conversation with Judge McKeever shares light on the judicial system and the best way to make positive change.  Prior to being appointed to the bench, Judge Mckee...

In the 25th episode of Detangling our Black Identities, I continue my conversation with phenomenal Provost Marcella David on the reality of being Black in America. Referred to as an “Oreo Cookie” because she doesn’t fit into the “black mold,” our discussion seeks to answer the question “will systematic racism and social injustice ever get better for black people or do we just have to accept the ha...

Marcella David, a little Church girl from Queens, NY to now Provost of Columbia College Chicago; my conversation with Marcella explores her identities as an educator, a lawyer, photographer, knitter and an overall interested person. We discuss the gift of accepting her true Black self and the importance of educational access. Marcella David is senior vice president and provost and professor i...

Vanita Lee-Tatum is a visual artist, entrepreneurship educator and positive force of nature. In this episode, she takes us on a journey of finding her true Black self after grappling with life’s disappointment and struggles. Her new found strength later in life brought her many possibilities as she transitioned from a life of fear to a life of love. Today she uses her advanced banking skills acqui...

A Kenyan descent empowered by her love for modern and contemporary dance, Sandrah Nina, shares light on the struggles of the up and coming Generation Z. Bullied and made fun off for speaking "proper English" or told she was not black enough to be a black American, Sandrah’s journey to discover her black identity is a byproduct of the encouragement she received from her Kenyan mother and her determ...

Keith Burrell, born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa shares his story of growing up Black in a predominantly white State. As the 8th child of his family, Keith's black journey reveals the struggles of black parenting and how the educational system disadvantages the black population.  Keith is now an Application Developer at the University of Iowa Health Care. He has over 10 years of experienc...

As a researcher with training and experience in clinical optometry, vision science and public health, Afua Asare’s research has focused on exploring barriers and disparities in accessing vision care and vision health initiatives in vulnerable and resource-poor populations. Afua has received several academic and research awards. She is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Ezell fellowship awarde...

Kwesi Atta-Krah is a compliance attorney at Delta Dental of Iowa where he helps provide reasonable assurance of compliance with, among other areas, applicable federal and state healthcare related laws and standards. Before law school, Kwesi held senior-level positions in auditing. In his last post, he supervised and managed risk assessments, internal controls testing and implementation, and audits...

As a star running back who rushed for over 5,000 yards with 54 touchdowns in three seasons with the Silver Eagles at Monona Grove High School, Wisconsin, Toren Young opens up about the struggles of being a black student athlete at High School and at the Collegiate level. An Academic All-Big Ten, Team Hustle Award recipient, a member of the Team Leadership group with the Iowa Football program, Tore...

Having spent her early formative years in Jamaica, Dr. Nadine Petty is the Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President for Community, Equity and Diversity at the University of New Hampshire. Nadine has over twenty years of experience in educational settings, including fourteen years in higher education. For the majority of her personal life and professional career, she has devoted herself...

Kosheno Moore Takahashi is an inclusion strategist with over 10 years of experience driving end-to-end employee engagement and collaboration strategies in mid to large-sized technology companies. She is recognized for successfully transforming company cultures by executing strategically aligned, culturally celebrated employee engagement programs.  She is best known for leveraging technology p...

Tameka Cage Conley, PhD is a graduate of the fiction program of the Iowa Writers' Workshop where she was awarded the Truman Capote Fellowship and the Provost Postgraduate Visiting Writer Fellowship in Fiction. Her work is published in Ploughshares, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Callaloo, The African American Review and elsewhere. She has received writing fellowships from the Iowa Writers' Worksho...

My Guest, Alex Lodge, is a patent attorney, and over the years has devoted his time to pro bono work in order to make it easier for clients to raise themselves out of poverty. He was recently named the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the State Bar of Wisconsin's Legal Assistance Committee . Alex and I discuss a range of topics including mentorship, the importance of giving back to the community a...

Growing up in the deep South, Coronda “Aku” Lee discusses her struggles of being raised with the southern culture with lack of black representations. Our conversation includes topic of code switching, fitting into the southern culture and the difficulties of making friends in different parts of America. Coronda received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Masters in Program Management from...

A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Annica joined the University of Iowa athletic staff as assistant athletic trainer in October, 2010 working with Women's Soccer and Softball. As a graduate of Central Florida University and Northern Iowa, she has been involved in many sports ranging from football, men's and women's tennis to baseball. A member of the National Athletic Trainers' Association, the Athlet...

As a decorated dancer and instructor (specializing in Latin American style dancing), Modei Akyea brings rich perspective from his travels around the world. A gentle soul with soo much knowledge about dance and language, Modei and I talk through how dance and languages play in telling the black story. 

As a passionate supporter of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives, Harmon currently serves on Iowa’s DEI Accountability Board. As an advocate for social justice reform, she has been the keynote speaker for the CMU Multicultural Celebratory as well as the Liberty High School Diversity and Inclusion Series. Lastly, she has created a “brave space” within Iowa’s WBB program for Black student-...